Do I really need to ask this question? I think so. That's why I am asking it.
I've now read nine of Agatha Christie's novels and two short stories. I have mixed opinions. I wasn't so blown away by the short stories that were my introduction to her work. But when wanting to give her work a proper try, And Then There Were None came up repeatedly as a suggestion.
That book was pretty amazing. So next up was the first book she wrote, the first Poirot. It seemed a good idea to get to know her version of the character and how she got into writing and that book seemed pretty good. So the next thing to do was try a Miss Marple. That didn't go so well, it was a lot harder to get into that book but on the basis the character had changed dramatically after the first book, it seemed fair to try again. As well as reading another Marple, it also seemed a good idea to try another Poirot.
The second Marple book was better than the first, the second Poirot book seemed OK. So onto another Poirot and suddenly, they weren't so great. Possibly because it was a compilation of short stories rather than a novel and it was hard to get into or follow anything. It was boring. At this point, it seemed a good time to rest the Agatha Christie books. Despite thoughts of reading something from the vast categories of her mystery works, such as a book written under her pseudonym or a Tommy and Tuppence, it just seemed a good time to find other things to read. Especially given all the murder mysteries on TV as well as in literature.
More recently, I made a return to the Poirot books. I read three more. And was underwhelmed. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd didn't work for me, but in all fairness, that's because the plot was already well known to me because of the adaptation. But The Big Four was confusing, a disappointment. The Mystery on the Blue Train was incredibly dull, which was to be expected on the basis that it was written in the time surrounding Agatha Christie's disappearance when she wasn't exactly at her best and is known to have absolutely hated the book.
So, it seems time to rest the books and this author again. It's actually quite tiring to continually be trying to invest your time in a series of books you've found not to your liking at times. Poirot in particular I am not sure on. Something which I recently posted about.
But is Agatha Christie really a good writer? Because it could be all hype. It could be that she was considered good at one time and things changed, or that people are just going with the crowd and claiming she is good when really, she isn't quite as good as some think.
Works like And Then There Were None prove to me that, yes, she was a good writer. It wasn't all hype. The plot of that book kept everyone hooked and guessing and oblivious to who the killer was, what they were doing and why. It was a work of absolute genius which must have taken a lot of work and a lot of planning.
I've seen many of Christie's works adapted and, although I know many of the plots were altered, they also prove that she had a skill for creating a brilliant mystery and good characters.
But writers aren't perfect. Sometimes they produce things that aren't great. Or maybe something they've written isn't for everyone. Maybe, they're of a certain time.
But my original question was, why is she so popular?
Agatha Christie is the greatest selling author of all time. There could be various reasons for that. For one thing, she wrote quite a few books. So she would sell more because there is far more choice with her writing. It's possibly also because she wrote the books in a time when people read a lot for entertainment. As time has moved forwards, more modern writers might find that they're not touching the sides of some of the classics, because people watch TV at least as much as they read. The fact Christie wrote so many books, means that there seems to be adaptations of her work almost constantly. It's something that simply happens in the TV and film industry. Short on ideas, look to popular authors. And every time one of her books is adapted, people want to read the book. I think also her books appeal to different age groups, from Young Adult upwards. Giving her a slight wider audience. Things like crime fiction do seem to have wider audiences than, say, boy wizards, or hobbits on a mission to destroy a ring (just to note, I love both those series, but not everyone does).
The main reason she's sold well, is that she was a great author. Still is. She's captured the attentions of many, she's drawn them in, that's why she's so popular.
Agatha Christie has been the inspiration for generations of crime fiction authors. The television series Death in Paradise is massively inspired by Christie's works, which is why almost every episode includes the classic revelation of the suspects gathered together before the killer is revealed. That started with Agatha Christie. The first detective on the show even had tiny similarities to Poirot, as someone who was obsessively neat and tidy, refusing to dress differently, and somewhat devoted to his nationality.
Agatha Christie really was and is a great author. But, it is important to note two things. One, that not every author considered great is for everyone. Two, that she wrote a huge array of books. Not every work is brilliant and you maybe have to really explore the vast library of her books to find one that marks her one of the greats.
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